Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Game 2 Prediction and Odds: 2023 NBA Playoffs

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The Miami Heat continue to beat the odds in the 2023 NBA playoffs, but winning a second-straight road game in Boston will be most difficult. In the NBA, 16 straight Game 1 losers have won Game 2 at home to even the series, including Boston in the semifinals against Philadelphia and Milwaukee against Miami in the first round.

Prediction 1

Boston Celtics -9

10/11 (-110)

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Prediction 2

Jayson Tatum Over 4.5 Assists

5/8 (-160)

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These odds from William Hill were correct at the time of writing.

Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat – Game Predictions

Contents

1 Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat – Game Predictions
- 1.1 Prediction 1: Boston Celtics to Cover the Spread (-9)
- 1.2 Prediction 2: Jayson Tatum Over 4.5 Assists
2 Celtics vs Heat Preview – Two Greater Than One
3 Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Game Details

In Game 2, the Heat are a 9-point underdog despite playing well in Game 1. The total is 215.5 points after the 123-116 finish on Wednesday night.

Prediction 1: Boston Celtics to Cover the Spread (-9)

The spread looks large given Miami’s success this postseason, including a 9-3 ATS record. But the Heat are still the 4th-worst spread team in the NBA this season, and it is always really hard to go up 2-0 as the road team. Boston showed some dominance late in the first half when it took a 13-point lead, but the Heat answered well and the Celtics played a poor fourth quarter. We can confidently say Jayson Tatum will not travel twice in the final minutes again, and Jaylen Brown should do better than 1-for-6 from 3. In fact, the 3-point shooting disparity was huge as the Heat hit 16-of-31 while the Celtics were just 10-for-29. Look for Boston to launch many more 3s and to have more success while the Heat will cool down. The last three times the Heat shot this well from 3 in a game, they were 0-3 the next game out with two blowout losses, including Game 2 of the Milwaukee series when the Bucks made 25 3-point shots. Boston will right the ship here.

Prediction 2: Jayson Tatum Over 4.5 Assists

Boston’s distribution of assists in Game 1 was hard to believe. Marcus Smart had 10 assists at halftime but only one in the second half. Still, his teammates shot 11-of-12 on his potential assists. They were far less successful for Jayson Tatum (1-for-8) and Jaylen Brown (5-for-13) on their potential assists. You could even go over 3.5 assists for Brown and over 4.5 for Tatum as the Celtics look for a stronger shooting night from everyone.

Celtics vs Heat Preview – Two Greater Than One

While Butler carried the Heat in Game 1, he still had a great performance from his supporting cast with five teammates either scoring 15 points or making multiple 3s. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had uneven games and poor finishes in the fourth quarter for Boston. The duo must outduel the lone Miami superstar to even this series.

Boston Celtics News, Injuries, and Starting Lineups

Jaylen Brown had a bloody hand late in the game after getting trampled on during a scrum for a loose ball. He should be fine, though he did finish the game shooting poorly. The Celtics will likely continue starting Robert Williams and bringing Derrick White off the bench along with excellent bench player Malcolm Brogdon.

Boston Celtics Injury Report:

No injuries to report ahead of Game 2

Boston Celtics Starting Lineup:

Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Robert Williams.

Miami Heat News, Injuries, and Starting Lineups

The Heat continue to do well offensively without Tyler Herro as Kyle Lowry, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, and Duncan Robinson have combined to provide Jimmy Butler with solid deep shooting support. The Heat will also need Bam Adebayo to continue being aggressive after he had 20 points and 8 rebounds in Game 1.